Understanding the LDS Endowment Ceremony, Part 1 of 3

My attempt to Foster understanding - respectfully.

Last week we discussed Baptism for the dead. This week we are going to look at the symbolism of the Endowment ceremony.

Don’t worry - LDS readers, I”m not going to divulge the things you promise not to reveal. Those can be found with a general Google search. Instead we will talk about how to understand some of the symbolism in the LDS Endowment ceremony as few understand it. This will be most helpful for those who have gone through the Endowment ceremony multiple times.

But how did this vicarious stuff begin in Mormonism. Well. like most everything else in the LDS faith it begins with a revelation to a Prophet, particularly Joseph Smith.

The Angel Moroni appears to Joseph Smith:   (Joseph Smith History) JSH 1:  38 And again, he quoted the fifth verse thus: Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

39 He also quoted the next verse differently: And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming.

John 3:5  - Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

The development of modern LDS Temple worship was a process and there were some different initial versions of it created by Joseph Smith until he finally arrived at a structure similar to what is used today (Although it has undergone changes and “refinements.” over time.) The LDS Temple ceremonies were first introduced by Joseph Smith May 4 1842, before he introduced the concept of vicarious works for the dead.

What is the purpose of this article?

The content in this article and part 2, come from notes I put together while I was LDS, trying to make sense of everything I was experiencing in the Temple. This was largely because I do not feel that I was properly prepared for the Temple and the first time I went I was totally freaked out. If it wasn’t for the fact that I was in the MTC on a mission the week after, I never would have gone back and likely would have left the LDS Church soon after. I have to walk a fine line here - there are many (most really) LDS who view talking about the temple in any way-shape-or-form to be verboten; when in reality the only things you promise not to discuss are the particulars of the Signs and Tokens (but even mentioning that there are such things could offend some people.) Broaching this topic could end up being a lose-lose situation. Although I thought that about my article on are Mormons Christian, and I got a some appreciative feedback on that one, so let's see how this goes.

This attitude is typically why LDS Temple Prep classes have long been close to worthless - invariably the teacher will not end up saying anything of consequence for fear of saying anything at all and then when people get to the Temple, that they thought it was and what they experience are two very different things. I'm going to talk about a lot, with the exception of the details of the Signs and Tokens. If you think this will offend you, then please don't read this, or the parts 2 and 3 to come after it.

Before proceeding, If you are not and have never been LDS and are not familiar with the LDS Cosmology “ aka. the plan of Salvation.” I recommend reading the following article which will help you understand the article. Otherwise it may not make a lot of sense.

The purpose of Temples

The temple began as the tabernacle, and we are told that the tabernacle was “a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: “for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern that was showed thee in the mount.” Heb 8:5

Hugh Nibley, in his book the Temple and the Cosmos, says that:

“The Temple is a scale model of the plan of Salvation of the universe,” not of the matter in it (stars, nebula, black holes, planets, etc.) but of our journey of eternal progression through it. The LDS faith is one of very few, and is certainly [one of] the largest by far, of religious groups that believe in deification (The Orthodox do as well, and we ae much much larger than the LDS, but we call it Theosis.) That is the ability for one to attain the status of Deity by growing closer to God. In this context, the temple is a representation of our journey of progression from our humble infantile fallen mortal state to returning to God endowed with power and glory, ready to become deified as he is by his divine energies (which both faiths believe is the reason God created Humanity.)

Additional Facts

• Anciently, Temples were seen as a place to learn about higher religious truths

• Temples generally faced east to the rising sun

• Temples often replayed creation myths as a way of setting the context and orienting the purpose of our lives and the direction of God’s plan of Salvation. (Although I do not take the Eden mythology to be literal, it is an effective metaphor/allegory for religious/spiritual purposes.)

• It is believed by many scholars that Gardens like the Garden of Eden, were actually gardens in or depicted in the Temple.

Temples and Orthodoxy

All Orthodox Church's are laid out in the same pattern as the Jerusalem Temple with a Narthex, Nave and a Holy of Holies (behind the iconostasis) The Church and the Liturgy is arranged in such a way as to educate the common person in the life of the Church, including higher religious truths. The way that the Church's liturgical calendar is arranged is to follow and replay the life of Christ, orienting the purpose of our lives and helping the average person to understand the direction and trajectory of our lives in God's plan of Salvation - and to help its member live a Christian life. The Divine Liturgy and Sunday Services are performed in such as way as to help people experience a similitude of Heaven on Earth - effectively helping to make it real for us (As a "copy and Shadow” of the heavenly things) as we live our lives according to the patterns laid out for us by the Church.

Effectively I would say that in the Orthodox faith we do not need separate temples because our Churches are Temples and regular Church attendance, and the following of the services throughout the year instruct and guide us back into God's presence.

LDS Church vs Temple

LDS Church's are very utilitarian and sparse to the point of being unnecessarily ugly (in my personal opinion). The aim is for people to "feel the spirit” without confusing that feeling for the emotions you might get at a rock concert or through imagery.

Outside of an LDS Church

Inside of an LDS Church

Personally for me, I'd have to say that in my case, that aim totally and utterly failed. Perhaps I just need a bit more, but every Sunday during Divine Liturgy in the Orthodox Church, I get to feel the spirit in a way that I never did in an LDS Church or Temple.

My wife goes to the LDS Temple often and I believe that the kind of experience she has there in the "Celestial Room”is the same type of experience I get to have every Service.

In standard LDS Services - there is very little if any, symbolism or divine imagery. You might find a handful of religious paintings inside a standard LDS Church building. The services in an LDS Church on Sunday consist of an “ open communion”"Sacrament meeting” (their very protestant version of a eucharist - using Bread and Water - there is no "real presence”of the Savior or of Grace in this service, it is symbolic only of reaffirming the promise to follow Christ that you made at your baptism.) followed by Talks given by members of the congregation who have been asked to speak that Sunday and then either a joint (mens & womens) sunday school, or separated meetings tailored specifically to Men and Women - referred to as Priesthood and Relief Society. Visitors or those learning about the Faith may have a separate “ investigators class.”

The LDS Church has a common “ universal” lay-priesthood where every active male member is ordained to the priesthood and thus is empowered to give blessings, perform baptisms and confirmations, or act in an official capacity as on the local level it is a lay-ministry. Only the most senior leadership of the LDS Church is Paid - as it then becomes their full-time job.

Priesthood meeting lessons often focus on how to be good priesthood holders and Christians, how to live up to your responsibilities, and how to be good Husbands and Fathers.

Relief Society is the women's equivalent. Because of how these educational programs are setup and run, the average LDS person has a fairly in-depth understanding of their Faith - much more so than the average "christian.” Skipping these classes is culturally quite frowned upon without a really good reason. If you show up for "sacrament”meeting but then go home and skip the other meetings, it may almost looked upon by LDS Faithful - as if you didn't come to church at all.

In the Orthodox church this type of educational participation is probably something we could do better at. That said, my parish runs religion classes for adults every week throughout most of the year - but it's largely attended by catechumens, most "cradle” Orthodox (i.e. those born in the faith) do not attend them. Perhaps the Clergy should apply some pressure to the laity to be more diligent in attending? I don't know that the right solution is there. I also think we need an emphasis with the youth on marrying within the Faith. LDS youth are taught from a very young age to marry within the Faith (and marrying outside of it is frowned upon in LDS culture.) most active/faithful LDS youth do marry within the Faith and then proceed to have larger than average families.

LDS Temples on the other hand are much more beautifully decorated, with more imagery and services that are rich with symbolism. An LDS person who has never had a "high church” experience, may be totally unprepared for a Temple experience and may feel a bit strange - as I'm sure any LDS person who goes to a Catholic Mass or Orthodox Liturgy for the first time might feel. It's a totally alien experience from what they are used to in a normal weekly service.

Outside of an LDS Temple

Inside of the San Diego LDS Temple

The LDS Temple Experience is very different from the standard Sunday experience.

The gentlest thing I could say is that it is "Very Old Testament.”and that if you are preparing to go to the Temple that you should "brace yourself” for what will seem to be some "odd" stuff. That's to be expected! It's from a very different time and place compared to America circa 2024.

THE LDS Temple is completely unlike anything else in the normal LDS experience. You could say it’s very Old Testament and filled with things that even most LDS don’t understand. I have literally seen new LDS members, after the 1 year waiting period, go to the temple and then leave the LDS church because they were so freaked out.

My hope is that these notes may help better prepare people going to the temple for the first time since, at the time I wrote this, I viewed the official “temple prep class.” as being close to worthless when preparing newbies for the ”shock value” of going to the Temple. I didn’t want to see other LDS members get freaked out and leave the church because of it.

The Journey of the Temple

The ordinances of the temple progress in order through a trajectory of progression: from Adam's fall to mortality on Earth and then back into God's presence.

1. Baptisms and confirmations - represent our rebirth into the Body of Christ that we can take part in after mortal birth. (although an LDS person wouldn’t necessarily phrase it this way.)

2. Washing and Anointing (aka the Initiatory) - a purification ritual preparatory to participation in the Endowment service.

3. Endowment - Preparation for Exaltation, i.e. Deification

4. Sealing - binding of a family unit together in the “highest order of the Holy Priesthood,” where the Husband and Wife can then be exalted together - This is seen as a requirement for exaltation. One cannot be exalted without the other.

The Initiatory (Washing and Anointing)

The Initiatory is not part of the Endowment, it's preparatory to the Endowment.

This type of purification ceremony is historically relatively common (though differing in form) amongst many ancient religious group. Purification rituals have long been considered normal parts of the process of initiation into many religious rites. The purpose is to set aside the profane by making one ritually clean and thus ready to participate in sacred rites. The Jews at the time of Christ had many purification rituals. The Initiatory is separate from the Endowment ritual.

In the Initiatory, the initiate is brought in wearing a ‘shield.’ (not a literal knight’s shield, but kind of like a big heavy white poncho meant to cover you up because, when I first went through this, everyone who went through was naked underneath it. Today, I believe that they allow you to wear your temple garments or underwear underneath to make it a less uncomfortable experience, particularly for women.

During the initiatory, the initiate is sprinkled/wiped with holy/consecrated water or oil to cleanse them from the "blood and sins of this generation." After the washing, the officiator anoints the person’s head and other body parts with consecrated oil while declaring blessings upon certain body parts (touching those body parts with the oil while professing a specific blessing.), i.e., they may touch your hip to bless you with good health. At the end, the officiator then lays hands on the person’s head to seal the blessing of the washing and anointing upon them.

When I was baptized Orthodox, the Chrismation part of the service, with the anointing of oil on the different parts of my body, was familiar enough with the LDS Washing and Anointing that my family members mentioned the parallels, and we discussed it.

The officiator then declares that the person is anointed to become a "king and priest" or a "queen and priestess" in the afterlife. As one leaves the area where this rite is performed, they are directed to a “waiting” area for the next Endowment session. While waiting, new temple-goers will then be given a “new Name.” Once ushered into the Endowment service, participants will be taken into an Endowment room.

In an Orthodox Baptism and Chrismation, you are also given a new name.

Temple Garments

Once washed and anointed, the participant returns to the dressing room to get dressed in the temple garment, also called the garment of the “holy priesthood.” The temple garment symbolizes the clothing of skins given to Adam and Eve by the Lord in the Garden of Eden to “cover their nakedness.” The garments are considered sacred and not meant to be shown off in public or to those who have not been to the temple—even to other Mormons.

The garments look very much like conservative white cotton underwear that your Grandma and Grandpa might have worn (but they are not one piece.) The Garments contain certain symbols sewn into them; their meanings are explained within the endowment ceremony. The style and cut of the garments are intended to enforce modest dress as they are to be worn under your normal “street clothes,” and they would be visible if you were to dress immodestly. The bottoms go down to your knee (preventing the wearing of very short shorts, speedo's or mini-skirts.)

The temple garments are rather unflattering, to the degree that I've heard many LDS people joke that they serve a dual purpose as a form of Mormon birth control!

The purpose of wearing the garments is to remind people of the personal covenants made in the temple. It’s also believed that they confer a type of “spiritual protection from temptation.” I have also heard some fantastical, mythical tales where missionaries have been protected from physical harm, gunshots, or knives by the garment. In these tales, the outer clothes were pierced, but the garment held intact—but this is not the intention.

These garments are sometimes mockingly referred to by other protestants (typically Baptist and evangelical “Christians” as “Magic Mormon Underwear.” Which to a Mormon would be both blasphemous and insulting. ) As a missionary, I witnessed a Pentecostal anti-Mormon (part of the “Concerned Christians” “Counter-cult” movement) burn a set of temple garments on the sidewalk outside of the Temple that was in my service area, before stomping on them.

"Experiences like this have led me to believe that some individuals who identify as 'Christian' often exhibit behaviors that seem contrary to the teachings of Christ. While I'm expressing this sentiment strongly, I'm actually holding back. Their actions strike me as bigoted, including those who protest events like LDS General Conference or the Hill Cumorah Pageant. I've never witnessed Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs, or Hindus engaging in such behavior toward Mormons or other faith groups in America. Some individuals have even resorted to deceitful tactics, like faking conversion and lying, to gain access to LDS temples solely to film and “expose” the proceedings. This level of dedication to hate and disrespect is deeply troubling. Perhaps, in some cases, it's a matter of being possessed by the Devil. Remember, “If you have done this to the least of these, my brethren, you have also done it unto me.” 

Although, to be fair many previous “leaks” or “exposes of LDS temple rites have been done by disaffected Mormons who then also lied through their temple interviews to get “expose’s to put on the internet for their own fame and glory.”

This article will be different from some of my normal articles; I’m not going to criticize or attempt to debunk the temple Endowment. Instead, I’m going to attempt to respectfully explain it the best I can in an effort to foster understanding without revealing things I have previously promised not to reveal. (Despite the fact that I am no longer LDS and no longer believe the LDS faith to be "true.")

A New Name

Many initiation rituals across a wide array of religions involve naming ceremonies or the participants taking on a new name[1]. A New Name is often used to mark someone as taking on a new persona or a new identity as a result of having been initiated. In Orthodoxy, you take a new name as part of your Baptism and Chrismation. That name is the name of the patron Saint you choose.

I used to believe that everyone got an individual and unique “new name” but was later disappointed to find out that across the world, on any particular day, everyone got the same “name,” Like they have determined one for each day of the year and depending on the day, that’s the one they use. I don’t remember what mine was b/c the temple worker, when I went through, didn’t know how to pronounce it.

The concept of a New Name can also sometimes be combined with the concept of a True Name[2] This is another ancient concept in which knowing someone’s true name gives one power over them. In ancient Hebrew thought, this was one reason why the name of God was hidden and never used, and he was often referred to only through honorifics like Adonai or The Lord.

In the LDS temple, obtaining a New Name marks the transition between the end of the Initiatory and the beginning of the Endowment. Before moving on to the Endowment, the participant is given a "new name." which he or she is instructed never to reveal except under certain conditions in the temple. The "new name" is linked to Revelation 2:17, which states that God will give those who overcome "a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it."

What is The Endowment[1]? A Sacrament of Preparation for Deification

The LDS Endowment ceremony is not really about “Salvation,” as we think about it (although LDS leaders sometimes refer to temple rituals as “saving ordinances.” (But I think this is really saving for the dead, not necessarily the living.) For the living, it could be considered salvific in a few ways: 1) Increasing Sanctification, 2) making covenants, and doing things to help us learn to keep those covenants. 3) Gaining knowledge necessary to make it to the highest level of heaven - LDS believe there are 3.) If you are not familiar with LDS Cosmology, please review the article below:

The Endowment is really about preparation for “Exaltation” or “deification/theosis.” You are endowed with the knowledge and make the Oaths necessary for you to become what you were previously anointed to in the Initiatory: a "king and high priest in the Kingdom of Heaven." You could call it a type of King-making ceremony.

Endowment ceremonies could be found anciently within many different religious groups and cultures. However, modern endowment ceremonies within Western traditions have largely disappeared as Monarchies have disappeared (but if you saw the enthronement of King Charles, you basically saw a King-making ceremony that had a religious framework attached to it.) An anthropologist would probably say that this is because ancient rulers were often seen as divinely appointed or actually divine. That God and the King or queen are often mentioned together is not an accident, i.e., “God and the King” or “God and the Queen.”

However, analogs still exist in Ancient Egyptian religions, in Christianity (Ordination of Clergy, Enthronements, etc.), Vodun (Fa Initiation), Orisha (Ifa Initiation or Coronation of a King or Oba), Santaria (Kariocha - the Making of a Saint or the Initiation of a Babalawo), Sikhism (Amrit Sanskar), Hinduism (Diksha), Tibetan Buddhism (Abhisheka), Shinto (Kanname-sai or Kannushi Ortination) and FreeMasonry, and other belief systems, religious and secular.

In terms of progression, in some older LDS temples, there are multiple rooms. In these cases, the ceremony starts in a room decorated as the Garden of Eden. Then the ceremony starts, with a presentation on the Creation, either by Film (most commonly) or with Temple Workers acting it out (this is being discontinued.) At a certain part in the ceremony, everyone then moves to a new room symbolizing the expulsion of Adam and Eve to the “telestial” world, before then moving to another world that symbolizes the “Celestial kingdom - Heaven) that contains the ‘veil’ of the temple. At the last point in the ceremony, the participants pass through the veil and into another room called the Celestial Room, which signifies passing through death and judgment and into the glory of Heaven. Every Celestial room I’ve ever been in has been beautiful and peaceful. Everyone in the room is typically very careful to behave reverently. Many people go through the Endowment just so they can enter the Celestial room to read, think or pray.

Although the patterns, frameworks, practices, clothing, symbols, oaths, covenants, and liturgies associated with these different practices may all differ, the major objective of the investiture of greater roles and responsibilities, blessings, affirmations, oaths, covenants, and public acknowledgments are similar/common components. Many involve the addition of new or different vestments or garments as part of the process to visibly mark one as being set apart in a new and different role.

• The Egyptians had an endowment that was part of the king-making (pharaoh-making) ceremony; apparently, ancient Israelite and LDS endowment ceremonies take general cues or themes from this.[2]

• Ancient religions in the Near East and Mediterranean had ‘endowment’ type ceremonies ranging from king-making to investiture and gnostic wisdom ceremonies.

• The LDS temple ceremony was built on a masonic framework. Although it differs greatly in the details, process, liturgy, and symbolism used, it is undeniable that Joseph Smith (J.S.) used the framework and structure borrowed from the masonic ceremony in the construction of the Mormon endowment, including the masonic hand/arm signs and tokens.

  • There is nothing inherently wrong with this, I suppose (Unless you believe the FreeMasons to be demonic.) It’s not like there was/is only one way to do an endowment temple ceremony. Being that the law of Moses has been fulfilled, we should not expect to recreate Old Testament/Old Law/Old Covenant Temple worship, complete with animal sacrifices. Under the New Law/New Covenant of Christ, any temple ceremony should be different from the previous law, and with the Gospel promise of resurrection, deification, and everlasting life, it makes sense that any new Temple ceremony should be closer to an investiture or king-making ceremony; after all, an LDS Endowment is about exaltation.

Signs and Tokens

The Idea of Signs and Tokens might seem silly on initial examination. However, the Lord gave Signs in the Bible. When Jesus was Baptized, the Holy Spirit descending in the form of a Dove was a Sign given to John the Baptist of Jesus’s identity and God’s approval and acceptance of the sacrament of baptism. After the Flood of Noah, the rainbow was a Sign from God of his Promise/oath/covenant (not to do something like that again.)

The idea of a Sign or Token as a handshake or a movement with your hand or arm may seem silly, but today, we do this to signify when making promises or taking oaths (i.e., making covenants).

When a US President is inaugurated, he raises his right hand (to the square) and puts his left palm down on the Bible while repeating an Oath (making a covenant). We do something similar if we are made to testify in court or when we are sworn into military service. That Gesture is a visible external “token” of our respect for and acceptance of the internal promise.

One gesture in the Bible that is a hand sign connected with the ancient Jerusalem temple is the sign of filling one’s Hand - represented as a cupped hand. In Hebrew, the word translated as “consecrated” is “male yad” which literally means to “fill the hand.” When the Lord consecrated Aaron and his sons as priests, he used this phrase to represent their calling. Priests may have used this hand gesture in the temple in the process of offering something to the Lord or receiving something from the Lord. Incense was often offered to the Lord, either in a cupped hand or in a hand-shaped cup. (See illustrations below. There are many examples of these in both ancient Israel and Egypt for offering incense to God.)

After the children of Israel left Egypt, Moses called for contributions to build the Tabernacle. The Lord had shown Moses on the mount the pattern of the Tabernacle, with its furnishings, vessels, and rituals. One commandment Moses received from the Lord was, “Thou shalt make the…spoons…of pure gold” (Ex. 25:29). In due course, each leader of the 12 tribes donated a golden spoon of 10 shekels weight, filled to overflowing with frankincense (Num. 7:84-86).

The spoon was named kaph in Hebrew, which means literally “hollow of the hand,” or the hand in cupping shape. Moses gave these 12 spoons to his priest-brother Aaron and to Aaron’s descendants, who used them for centuries in the Tabernacle and later in Solomon’s temple for the burning of incense before the Lord (1 Kings 7:50; 2 Chron. 24:14). It is evident from 2 Chron. 4:22 that King Solomon manufactured additional “spoons” of gold, as well as other temple vessels.

Ancient Examples of Signs/Tokens

Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest of the Levites entered the Holy of Holies of Moses’ tabernacle or, later, of Solomon’s temple by passing through the veil. He carried frankincense and the spoon, a hand in a cupping shape, as he passed through (Lev. 16:12-13). Later, a controversy arose as to where the incense was to be added to the fire in the spoon. The Sadducees held that the priest must add the incense to the fire before he entered the veil, lest he see the glory of God and die. The Pharisees insisted that he wait until after entering the Holy of Holies before igniting the incense.

It was considered especially difficult for the priest to take up the raw incense in the hollow of his hand, without dropping one small grain, and to pour it onto the fire (Lev. 16:12; also Yoma 1, 5, 47b). This important ceremony, including the complete incineration of the frankincense, along with the high priest shouting the sacred name “Yahweh” (Jehovah), had to precede immediately the roasting and burning of the flesh of the animal sacrifice outside on the large altar of burnt offerings. On some occasions, an altar of incense was used in the temple in lieu of the spoon to burn the incense.

Hand Shaped Cups used to offer Incense to the Lord in the Temple.

Hand shaped cups used for incense offerings in Egypt.